Cullen Everlasting
by Bella Marie Whitlock
Summary: In the forest near Forks, Washington, there lies a spring. A spring with the ability to grant eternal youth. If you drink from it you will not age and you cannot die. Such is the fate of the Cullens. What happens when Bella steps into this world where time is meaningless and your greatest enemy is the world around you?


**AN: First things first, credit for all of these wonderful characters goes to Stephenie Meyer. Credit for the plot and much of the dialogue as well as parts of the narrative goes to the Disney movie Tuck Everlasting (which I know is based on a book, though sadly I have never read it!)**

 **Thank you to everyone who checks out this story. I aim to write it in a way that if you aren't familiar with the source material, you can still enjoy the story. But I am basically just retelling the movie using the Cullens in place of the Tucks, so this is in no way an original story and I'm not taking any credit for it.**

 **Enjoy the first Chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The Wheel**

 _For some, time passes slowly. An hour can seem an eternity. For others there is never enough. For the Cullens, it didn't exist._

 _Time is like a wheel, turning and turning. Never stopping. And the woods are the center. The hub of the wheel._

It began the first week of summer, A strange and breathless time, when accident or fate bring lives together. When people are led to do things they've never done before.

On this summer's day, not so very long ago the wheel, set lives in motion in mysterious ways. It set Esme Cullen out for the town of Forks to meet her children as she did once every ten years.

"Ma!" Edward called.

"Edward! Jasper! Oh I missed you!" she said hugging Edward as if her life depended on it. "Where are the others?" she wondered, looking around.

"Alice insisted on doing some more shopping before we came home so the girls are at the mall, you know Alice. Don't worry Emmett's with them. He'll keep them out of trouble. What are you doing here?" he asked. Esme Cullen rarely set foot in town. Neither did Carlisle.

"I couldn't wait to see you all!" she exclaimed. She had missed her children fiercely.

"Well look, I got you something. Here! It's the Eiffel Tower. I got it in Paris, France. Oh Mom you've never seen anything so tall in your life!" he said, pulling presents out of his backpack. After thanking him for the chocolates and souvenirs, she turned and saw Jasper watching her.

"Jasper? Give your mother a hug!" she exclaimed taking him into her arms. He was stiff for a moment before relaxing into her warm embrace.

"You're as cozy as barbed wire." she teased him. The years had hardened Jasper. Time and experience had made him cautious. He wasn't quick to smile or to laugh. But he loved his family with everything he had.

They escorted their mother to their car and set out. They couldn't drive it all the way. They'd hide it at the edge of the forest and walk to the property for no roads led there.

"Ah my boys. I have you back!" she sighed happily as they walked to the vehicle.

* * *

Bella Swan was lying in the grass listening to a frog croak. "Isabella?" Renee Swan called.

"Yes Mom?" Bella replied, then to herself, "I need a new name. One that isn't worn out from being called so much."

"Come inside this instant! You're getting filthy. Besides, it's time for your piano lesson!" Her mom yelled.

Bella hated piano. She only took the lessons because she'd had to quit ballet. She kept getting injured. Her mom insisted she take something. And piano was cheep because her instructor was an old woman who barely paid attention to the notes and spent the hour knitting instead.

For Bella Swan one thing was true: The heat of summer was not nearly as stifling as the irrelevancy her ordinary life. With every passing day, the feeling grew stronger. She was coming closer to the end of something. And moving towards the beginning of something new.

As always, sitting at the piano, she couldn't find the right notes. But it wouldn't matter much longer. Besides, her hour was up anyway. She said goodbye to the piano teacher and as soon as Renee's car had left to drive the woman home, she tore off into the backyard to engage in her favorite pastime.

Their house in Forks was built on the treeline and Bella would spend hours upon hours staring off into the woods as if she were expecting the trees to come to life and snatched her away from her hapless existence. Change was in the air. It was only a question of when.

* * *

At the Cullen house in the woods on a pristine lake with no one around for miles upon miles, the family were celebrating. Edward was showing slides from Paris and Emmett was injecting his particular brand of color commentary. The girls would chime in on occasion but mostly they were laughing. Their mother was in stitches hearing all of their exploits.

Carlisle noticed Jasper wasn't joining in the fun. He sat down beside his son on the other end of the room from the rest of the family. "It's good to have you home Son. I'm glad to see you. And the family together." he said.

"But don't get used to it Carlisle. The peace. Something is coming, I can feel it. Somebody's onto us. I know it. There's a man who's been followin' us. We've lost him several times but he keeps comin' back. I think he knows somethin', this man." Jasper said quietly, then louder to the rest of the family, "We're bein' tracked."

Emmett frowned. "Man, Jazz, we lost him. Don't go spoiling everything!" he huffed. If there's one thing Emmett didn't like it was having rain on his parade.

"Yeah, we lost him Em. But he keeps comin' back." Jasper sighed.

"It was only a matter of before someone found us." Carlisle said after a pause. "The world is closing in. Entire forest is almost gone. All except this little wood." he stood up to face the rest of the family.

"I saw tire marks down on the lower wash a few weeks ago. There'll be more. I don't want anyone going into town. Not for anything and that's that." he sighed.

"Carlisle!?" Esme gasped. Surely it hadn't come to this already.

But he continued. "You see any strangers in the woods getting too close, you know what to do. No exceptions." he said sadly. "Our time here is almost done. I can feel it."

* * *

Bella was out in her yard late at night. She was trying to catch a firefly and failing. Before she even heard his footsteps a man approached the fence. "You'll never catch one that way." the man said.

"Do you know anything about catching fireflies?" Bella asked him. She would have taken all the help she could get.

"Afraid not, never tried. I prefer… bigger game. Though I suspect the strategy is much the same." he offered.

"Strategy?" she asked, stepping closer to the fence.

"One must not announce one's presence to the prey. One must become part of the scenery - invisible, almost disappear. And be patient until the exact right moment arrives!" he said, startling her as he suddenly reached out and caught one in his hand. "Take a prisoner," he said holding the firefly out to her. "For you?" he offered.

Suddenly she didn't want it. She'd wanted to catch it herself and it seemed wrong that this man had caught it. "No thank you." said politely.

"You're quite right. A girl of your age should find trapping suitors more interesting than trapping insects anyway. Far easier, I might add." he let the firefly go, then casually asked, "have you lived here long?"

Bella fidgeted. The man was making her nervous. "Forever, why?" she replied.

"I'm… looking for some old friends who live hereabouts. Thought you might help me find them." he inquired.

She knew better than to tell him anything. Whatever he wanted, it couldn't be good. "My father is the police chief here in Forks. He knows everyone. Perhaps he can help you." she said quickly, hoping it would scare him off.

"Perhaps. I quite like talking to you." he confessed. _Um, okay, creepy much?_

Just then, Renee came out to call her inside for the night. "Bella? Who are you talking to out there?"

"I don't know!" she called back as her mother strode toward them. "He hasn't told me his name." the man removed his hat as she walked up.

He spoke to explain himself, "Good evening Madam. Please forgive my intrusion. This young lady tells me you've lived here forever. I thought you might know of a certain family goes by the name of.." but Renee cut him off, glaring daggers.

"I hardly know everyone, nor do I want to. And I don't stand outside discussing such a thing with… strangers." Renee said looking him over. If there was anything that being the police chief's wife had taught her over the years, it was that you can never be too cautious.

"Then I beg your pardon." he addressed her before flitting his eyes back to settle on Bella with a smile. "Good evening young lady." he said wistfully. "Madam." he returned to Renee with a harsher look. And the two women took their chance to walk briskly back to the house. As the man began to whistle an ominous tune.

"This is why I worry about you Bella. You don't have the sense not to talk to a man like that!" she huffed, trying to ignore the eery feeling she'd gotten from speaking to the strange man. And when Bella looked back he was gone.

* * *

 **AN: Well, what do you think? It dawned on me last night how well the Cullen characters would fit into the Tuck's storyline and how easily Forks could be the forest in the movie, given they are both such magical places and I just had to attempt this. I'd be happy to hear any feedback, good or bad!**


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